My family loves soft pretzels. So after looking for an easy to follow recipe online we decided to give it a shot. In keeping with this months blog theme of Valentine’s Day, we decided to make heart shaped pretzels. It is the perfect Valentine’s Day food and if you are looking for a yummy Valentine”s Day recipe, this is it! I was even able to sneak in a math lesson for my daughter on measurements, which is a mini review of this weeks math focus! It is a beautiful moment when you can enjoy some fun family baking together and make an educational lesson out of it! Five ingredients are all you need!

First, give the water and yeast a mix around in the bowl. Lumps will be normal!

Next, add your sugar and salt. Mix well by hand.

Then, stir in your flour. Use 4 cups of flour at first.

Keep adding flour in ¼ cup increments until the dough is no longer sticky.

Poke the dough with your finger and if it bounces back, you are ready to start kneading..

Place your dough on a floured surface.

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes and then shape into a ball.

Now, cut your ball of dough into ⅓ cup sections.

Roll the dough into a rope as even in diameter as you can get it.

Now comes the fun! Shape the pretzel. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a heart or whatever shape you choose.

Twist the ends to secure them in place.

Brush each pretzel with a light egg wash and sprinkle with either salt or sugar to taste.

Bake your pretzels for 10 minutes at 425F degrees. If you want you can turn the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes to get the tops nice and brown!

That's it! Your pretzels are now ready for tasting if you can wait that long for them to cool! They are so golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Your family will not only love making these, but eating them as well!

For more tips on how to make your own pretzels at home, visit [Sally'sBakingAddiction|http://www.sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/25/30-minute-whole-wheat-pretzels/] to learn more!